Lug arrangement for elastic crawler

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an elastic crawler formed with an elastic material in the shape of an endless track, and used as the wheel for the work vehicle with enhanced reliability and durability. The elastic crawler includes a crawler body formed with an elastic material and having lugs protruded at the ground contact side thereof, and cores having wings extended left and right to the center of the crawler body in the width direction thereof, and arranged parallel to each other in the longitudinal track direction of the crawler body such that the wings face the lugs formed at the crawler body. The crawler body has first and second lug units alternately arranged parallel to each other in the longitudinal track direction thereof. The first lug unit has left lugs facing each other over two wings, and right lugs arranged right to the center of the crawler body while proceeding symmetrical to the left lugs around the center. The second lug unit has left lugs facing each other over one wing, and right lugs arranged right to the center of the crawler body while proceeding symmetrical to the left lugs around the center.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/581,850 (filed 5 Jun. 2006; now U.S. Pat. No. 7,547,079), which wasthe National Stage of International Application PCT/KR2004/003142 (filed1 Dec. 2004). This application also claims the benefit of JapanesePatent Application 2003-406157 (filed 4 Dec. 2003) and Japanese PatentApplication 2004-130001 (filed 26 Apr. 2004).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an elastic crawler, and in particular,to an elastic crawler which is formed with an elastic material whiletaking a shape of an endless track, and used as the wheel of the workvehicle under bad working conditions, for example, on the steep andrough road.

(b) Description of the Related Art

Generally, iron belts or tracks that pass over a number of wheels havebeen commonly used as wheels for work vehicles designed for use underbad working conditions, such as steep and rough road conditions. Suchvehicles are produced by, for example, Caterpillar, Inc. (Peoria, Ill.).However, as such iron belts are tracks are heavy, result on poor fuelefficiency, and produce loud noises, elastic crawlers have been recentlyintroduced instead of the iron belts and tracks.

The elastic crawler 1A is, for instance, used as a wheel for workvehicles designed for use under bad working conditions, such as steepand rough road conditions. The elastic crawler 1A is shaped with anendless track (a ring), but for convenience, only a part of the elasticcrawler 1A is amplified and illustrated.

Raised lugs are formed at the ground contact side of the crawler body,and concave earth removal portions are disposed between the lugneighbors. The lugs are divided into left and right to the center of thecrawler body in the width direction thereof, and overlapped with leftand right wings of the cores, respectively. Japanese Patent Laid-openPublication No. 2002-29461 discloses such an elastic crawler.

With the elastic crawler, the one-sided lugs have ground contactsurfaces overlapped with the projections of the neighboring wings in thelongitudinal track direction, and the opposite-sided lugs have groundcontact surfaces overlapped with the projections of the correspondingwings.

The lengths of the ground contact surfaces of the left and the rightlugs are different from each other, and those lengths with therespective left lugs as well as with the respective right lugs are alsodifferent from each other. The left and the right lugs differentiated inthe ground contact length are arranged in a zigzag pattern.

With the elastic crawler disclosed at the above publication, the leftand right lugs with ground contact surfaces differentiated in the groundcontact length are arranged with a zigzag pattern, and overlapped withthe projections of the wings, thereby enhancing the flexibility at asection for wrapping the crawler around the driving wheel, inhibitingthe release of the crawler from the sprocket, and reducing thevibration.

However, in such an elastic crawler where the ground contact lengths ofthe ground contact surfaces of the left and right lugs are differentfrom each other, the lug with a relatively short ground contact lengthis liable to be deteriorated in rigidity.

Furthermore, when the elastic crawler is circularly operated, theexternal forces applied to the left and the right lugs aredifferentiated, and this causes stress to the elastic crawler. In thiscase, cracks are liable to be made at the stress-concentrated area,resulting in deteriorated reliability and durability of the elasticcrawler.

In addition, as the lugs having ground contact surfaces with differentground contact lengths are divided left and right from the center of thecrawler body in the width direction thereof, and arranged in a zigzagpattern, any one of the pair of core neighbors is necessarily overlappedor straddled with the lug. For this reason, although slightly improved,it is not possible to obtain sufficient flexibility, and to completelyremove the crawler release factor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an elastic crawlerwhich involves enhanced reliability and durability.

This and other objects may be achieved by an elastic crawler with thefollowing features.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the elastic crawlerincludes a crawler body formed with an elastic material in the shape ofan endless track, and cores having wings extended left and right to thecenter of the crawler body in the width direction thereof. The crawlerbody has lugs protruded at the ground contact side thereof. The coresare arranged parallel to each other in the longitudinal track directionof the crawler body such that the wings face the lugs formed at thecrawler body.

First and the second lug units are alternately arranged parallel to eachother in the longitudinal tract direction of the crawler body. The firstlug units each have first right lugs facing each other over two wingsand arranged right to the center of the crawler body in the widthdirection thereof, and first left lugs arranged left to the center whileproceeding symmetrical to the first right lugs around the center. Thesecond lug units each have second right lugs facing each other over onewing and arranged right to the center of the crawler body in the widthdirection thereof, and second left lugs arranged left to the centerwhile proceeding symmetrical to the second right lugs around the center.

With the above structure, as the first right and left lugs of the firstlug unit proceed symmetrical to each other around the center of thecrawler body in the width direction thereof, and the second right andleft lugs of the second lug unit proceed symmetrical to each otheraround the center of the crawler body in the width direction thereof,the left and right balance of the elastic crawler can be maintained.Consequently, with the circular driving of the elastic crawler, thestress can be prevented from being generated therein, and thereliability and durability thereof can be enhanced.

Furthermore, as the first left and right lugs of the first lug unit faceeach other over the wings of two cores, and the second left and rightlugs of the second lug unit face each other over the wing of one core,it becomes possible to realize sufficient flexibility, and to securelyprevent the release of the crawler from the sprocket.

According to one feature of the present invention, the longitudinaltrack length of the ground contact surface formed at the first right lugof the first lug unit is established to be the same as the longitudinaltrack length of the ground contact surface formed at the second rightlug of the second lug unit, and the longitudinal track length of theground contact surface formed at the first left lug of the first lugunit is established to be the same as the longitudinal track length ofthe ground contact surface formed at the second left lug of the secondlug unit

With the above structure, the front and rear balance of the crawler inthe longitudinal track direction thereof can be enhanced, and the stressand the vibration can be prevented from being generated therein.

According to one feature of the present invention, the first and thesecond left lugs have first extensions extended in the longitudinaltrack direction, and the first and the second right lugs have secondextensions extended in the longitudinal track direction as like with thefirst extensions.

With the above structure, as first and second extensions are formed atthe first and the second right lugs as well as at the first and thesecond left lugs such that they proceed in the longitudinal trackdirection, the ground contact surface area of the elastic crawlerbecomes widened, and hence, it becomes possible to heighten the rigidityof the elastic crawler. Furthermore, as the extensional direction of thefirst extension is established to be the same as the extensionaldirection of the second extension, the vibration is prevented from beinggenerated in the crawler.

According to yet another feature of the present invention, theplan-viewed length of the sidewall formed at the periphery of the firstand the second right lugs and the first and the second left lugs whilebeing sided with first and the second extensions is established to besmaller than the plan-viewed length of the sidewall placed opposite tothe first and the second extensions.

With the above structure, as the distance between the neighboring lugsin the longitudinal track direction of the crawler body is short, andthe area of the lugs at the ground contact side of the crawler body iswidened, the rigidity of the elastic crawler can be heightened.

Although it may be considered that the plan-viewed length of thesidewall positioned opposite to the first and the second extensions isestablished to be relatively short as in the plan-viewed length of thesidewall sided with the first and the second extensions, such astructure is not preferable in that the rigidity of the respective lugsis not high, and the penetrability thereof with respect to the surfaceof the road is deteriorated.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the elasticcrawler includes a crawler body formed with an elastic material in theshape of an endless track, and cores having wings extended left andright to the center of the crawler body in the width direction thereof.The crawler body has lugs protruded at the ground contact side thereof.The cores are arranged parallel to each other in the longitudinal trackdirection of the crawler body such that the wings face the lugs formedat the crawler body.

Lug units are positioned left and right to the center of the crawlerbody in the width direction thereof, and arranged parallel to each otherin the longitudinal track direction of the crawler body. The lug unitseach have first lugs facing each other over two wings and arrangedone-sidedly with respect to the center of the crawler body in the widthdirection thereof, and second lugs facing each other facing each otherin the longitudinal track direction of the crawler body. The first andthe second lugs have extensions extended in the longitudinal tractdirection, and the extensions of the first and the second lugs facingeach other in the width direction of the crawler body are partiallyoverlapped with each other in the longitudinal track direction of thecrawler body.

With the above structure, as the lug units are arranged parallel to eachother in the longitudinal track direction of the crawler body whilebeing positioned left and right to the center of the crawler body in thewidth direction thereof, and the extensions of the first or the secondlugs facing each other in the width direction of the crawler body arepartially overlapped with each other in the longitudinal track directionof the crawler body so that the ground contact surface of at least oneof the lugs contacts the ground, it becomes possible to reduce the upand down movement variation of the elastic crawler with respect to theground surface during the circular driving, and to inhibit thegeneration of vibration.

According to one feature of the present invention, the longitudinaltrack length of the ground contact surface formed at the first lug isestablished to be the same as the longitudinal track length of theground contact surface formed at the second lug.

With the above structure, as the longitudinal track lengths of theground contact surfaces formed at the lugs of the crawler body are allthe same, the balance of the crawler body in the width direction and inthe direction perpendicular thereto (in the direction of the circularrotation) is enhanced. Furthermore, as the entire ground contact area ofthe crawler body is increased, the rigidity of the crawler body can beheightened, and the elastic crawler can be prevented from being releasedfrom the sprocket during the rotation thereof.

According to one feature of the present invention, the first lugs or thesecond lugs positioned right to the center of the crawler body in thewidth direction thereof, and the first lugs or the second lugspositioned left to the center of the crawler body in the width directionthereof are arranged at the left and the right sides of the crawlerbody, respectively.

With the above structure, as the lugs are arranged left and right to thecenter of the crawler body in the width direction thereof, the groundcontact surface of at least one of the lugs necessarily contacts theground surface with increased contact area compared to the structure, itbecomes possible to more securely prevent the release of the crawlerfrom the sprocket during the rotation thereof.

In short, with the structure according to the present invention, theleft and right balance of the elastic crawler is enhanced withheightened rigidity and flexibility, and the vibration is prevented frombeing generated therein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent by describing preferred embodiments thereof in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an elastic crawler according to a firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the elastic crawler according tothe first embodiment of the present invention, taken along the B-B lineof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the elastic crawler accordingto the first embodiment of the present invention, taken along the C-Cline of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the elastic crawler according to the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a crawler body for the elastic crawleraccording to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan and bottom view of an elastic crawler according to asecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the elastic crawler according to thesecond embodiment of the present invention, taken along the C-C line ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the elastic crawler with cores according to thesecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the elastic crawler with no core according tothe second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a first variant of the elastic crawleraccording to the second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a second variant of the elastic crawleraccording to the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown.

FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate an elastic crawler 1A according a firstembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view of theelastic crawler 1A, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the elastic crawlertaken along the B-B line of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of theelastic crawler taken along the C-C line of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is abottom view of the elastic crawler 1A.

The elastic crawler 1A is, for instance, used as the wheel for the workvehicle under the bad working conditions, such as steep and rough roads.The elastic crawler 1A is shaped with an endless track (a ring) as inthe caterpillars, but for convenience, only a part of the elasticcrawler 1A is amplified, and illustrated.

Roughly speaking, the elastic crawler 1A has a crawler body 2A, andcores 3. The crawler body 2A is formed with an elastic material(elastomer), such as rubber, and has a shape of an endless track. Asshown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a plurality of lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R, connectionholes 6, and earth removal portions 9L and 9R are formed at the groundcontact side of the crawler body 2A. As shown in FIG. 4, guides 7L and7R and flex grooves 10L and 18R are formed at the side of the crawlerbody 24 opposite to the ground contact side thereof. For explanatoryconvenience, the specific structure of the crawler body will bedescribed later.

The core 3 is formed with a metallic material through casting orpressing. In this embodiment, the core 3 is based on the cast metal. Thecore 3 has left and right wings 3L and 3R extended left and right from acentral connecting portion 3A, and protrusions 3B and 3C formed at thecenter thereof. As shown in FIG. 7, the cores 3 are arranged parallel toeach other in the longitudinal direction of the track (the directionindicated by the arrows Y1 and Y2), and embedded in the crawler body 2A.

As shown in FIG. 3, the left and right protrusions 3B and 3C formed atthe cores 3 are deviated from each other in the longitudinal trackdirection, and arranged left and right with a zigzag pattern. The zigzagarrangement of the left and right protrusions 3B and 3C makes itpossible to reduce the vibration. Furthermore, the material for thecores 3 is not limited to the metal, but may be formed with rigid resin,or rigid resin mixed with reinforcing fiber.

The connecting portion 3A of the core 3 is connected to the driving clawof the sprocket (not shown). For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, theinner circumferential surface 3A-1 of the connecting portion 3A isformed with an arc such that the coupling of the sprocket claw theretoor the decoupling thereof can be made smoothly. Furthermore, as shown inFIG. 2, the inner circumferential surface 3A-1 is externally coated witha rubber coat (3A-2), thereby preventing the rust generation.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the above-structured cores 3 are arrangedparallel to each other, and embedded in the crawler body 2A such thatthe crawler body 2A and the cores 3 are unified in a body, therebyforming an elastic crawler 1A. Connection holes 6 for holding thesprocket claws are arranged at the center of the crawler body 2A in thewidth direction thereof (the direction of the arrows Z1 and Z2 in thedrawing) with a predetermined distance.

The connecting portions 3A formed at the cores 3 are structured suchthat the cores 3 are placed at the front and the rear of the connectionholes 6 while being combined with the crawler body 2A. That is, in orderto drive the elastic crawler 1A, the sprocket claws connected to theconnecting portions 3A of the cores 3 through the connection holes 6apply the driving power to the elastic crawler 1A. In case the rotationwheel is an outer protrusion type, as shown in FIG. 4, the side of thecrawler body 2A opposite to the ground-contact side thereof makesformation of track-typed guides (rails) 7L and 7R external to the leftand the right protrusions 3B and 3C.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, tension resistance members 8L and 8Rare embedded in the crawler body 2A sided with the ground contactsurfaces of the left and right wings 3L and 3R of the core 3. Thetension resistance members 8L and 8R are formed by tensioning a steelcord, and embedded in the crawler body 2A left and right. The tensionresistance members 8L and 8R are formed to be substantially endless(with a ring shape), and prevent the crawler body 2A from beingelongated.

As shown in FIG. 4, flex grooves 10L and 10R are formed at the side ofthe crawler body 2A opposite to the ground-contact side thereof toheighten the flexibility at the wrapping section thereof to be engagedwith the sprocket claws. The flex grooves 10L and 10R are extended inthe width direction of the track (in the direction of Z1 and Z2) toprevent the stress concentration.

The lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R formed at the crawler body 2A will be nowexplained mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5.

The lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R are protruded at the ground-contact surfaceof the crawler body (2A) with a raised shape. Earth removal portions 9Land 9R are formed between the respective lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R eachwith a relatively concave shape. In this embodiment, a pair of the firstleft lug 4L and the first right lug 4R makes formation of a first lugunit X1, and a pair of the second left lug 5L and the second right lug5R makes formation of a second lug unit X2. In the drawing, the firstand the second lug units X1 and X2 are surrounded by dash and dot lines.

The first lug unit X1 will be first explained. The first lug unit X1 isstructured such that two cores 3 are placed thereunder. Furthermore, thefirst lug unit X1 has first left and right lugs 4L and 4R.

The first left lug 4L is placed left to the center of the crawler body2A in the width direction (in the direction of Z1 and Z2) thereof (atthe location of the dash and dot line indicated by the arrow A in FIG.1). The first left lug 4L faces the left wings 3L of the two cores 3. Afirst left ground contact surface 4L-1 is formed at the top of the firstleft lug 4L.

Meanwhile, the first right lug 4R is placed right to the center A of thecrawler body 2A in the width direction thereof (in the direction of Z1and Z2). The first right lug 4R faces the right wings 3L of the twocores 3. A first right ground contact surface 4R-1 is formed at the topof the first right lug 4R.

With the formation of the first left lug 4L and the first right lug 4R,they are formed with the same shape, but proceed symmetrical to eachother left and right around the center A of the crawler body 2A in thewidth direction thereof. In this structure, the first lug unit X1 hasone connection hole 6.

The second lug unit X2 will be now explained. The second lug unit X2 isstructured such that one core 3 is placed thereunder. Furthermore, thesecond lug unit X1 has second left and right lugs 5L and 5R.

The second left lug 5L is placed left to the center A of the crawlerbody 2A in the width direction thereof (in the direction of Z1 and Z2).The second left lug 5L faces the left wing 3L of the core 3. A secondleft ground contact surface 5L-1 is formed at the top of the second leftlug 5L.

Meanwhile, the second right lug 5R is placed right to the center A ofthe crawler body 2A in the width direction thereof (in the direction ofZ1 and Z2). The second right lug 5R faces the right wing 3L of the core3. A second right ground contact surface 5R-1 is formed at the top ofthe second right lug 5R.

With the formation of the second left lug 5L and the second right lug5R, they are formed with the same shape, but proceed symmetrical to eachother left and right around the center A of the crawler body 2A in thewidth direction thereof. Furthermore, the second left lug 5L and thesecond right lug 5R have substantially the same shape as the first leftlug 4L and the first right lug 4R. The second lug unit X2 has twoconnection holes 6.

The above-structured first and second lug units X1 and X2 are arrangedparallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the track (inthe direction of Y1 and Y2) to thereby form the crawler body 2A. Asdescribed above, the elastic crawler 1A according to the presentembodiment is structured such that with the first lug unit X1, the firstleft lug 4L and the first right lug 4R proceed symmetrical to each otheraround the center A of the crawler body in the width direction thereof(in the direction of Z1 and Z2), and with the second lug unit X2, thesecond left lug 5L and the second right lug 5R proceed symmetrical toeach other around the center A in the width direction.

Accordingly, it is possible to maintain the left and right balances ofthe crawler body 2A, and when the elastic crawler 2 is circularlyoperated, to prevent the stress generation therein. Consequently, theoccurrence of cracks or breakages due to the stress in the crawler body2A can be prevented, and the reliability and durability of the elasticcrawler 2 can be enhanced.

The first left lug 4L and the first right lug 4R of the first lug unitX1 face the wings 3L and 3R of two cores 3, and the second left lug 5Land the second right lug 5R of the second lug unit X2 face only thewings 3L and 3R of one core 3. Consequently, as only the rubber-basedcrawler body 2A but not the core is existent at the contact area betweenthe first lug unit X1 and the second lug unit X2, it is possible torealize sufficient flexibility while securely preventing the crawlerfrom being released, and reducing the vibration.

The shape of the respective lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R of the first and thesecond lug units X1 and X2 will be now explained.

As described above, the respective lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R are protrudedat the ground contact surface of the crawler body 2A with a raisedshape, and relatively concave earth removal portions 9L and 9R areformed between the respective lugs.

Furthermore, the lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R have ground contact surfaces4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 and 5R-1, respectively. As the respective lugs 4L, 4R,5L and 5R have roughly the same outline, the respective ground contactsurfaces 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 and 5R-1 also have roughly the same shape.

As described above, with the first lug unit X1, the first left lug 4Land the first right lug 4R proceed symmetrical to each other around thecenter A, and with the second lug unit X2, the second left lug 5L andthe second right lug 5R proceed symmetrical to each other around thecenter A. Accordingly, the ground contact surfaces 4L-1 and 4R-1 alsoproceed symmetrical to each other around the center A, and the groundcontact surfaces 5L-1 and 5R-1 proceed symmetrical to each other aroundthe center A. Consequently, the balance of the respective ground contactsurfaces 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 and 5R-1 in the width direction (in thedirection of Z1 and Z2) is improved, and the stress as well as thevibration can be prevented.

The respective ground contact surfaces 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 and 5R-1 have alarge area part close to the center A, and a small area part distant tothe center A. The longitudinal track length of the large area part isestablished to be large (indicated by the arrow L1 in the drawing), andthe longitudinal track length of the small area part to be small(indicated by the arrow L2 in the drawing). The large area parts of allthe ground contact surfaces 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 and 5R-1 have the samelongitudinal track length L1. With this structure, the balance of thecrawler body 2A in the longitudinal track direction thereof (in thedirection of Y1 and Y2) is kept to be constant, and the stress as wellas the vibration can be prevented.

As the longitudinal track length L is enlarged, a first extension 13L isformed at the first ground contact surfaces 4L-1 and 5L-1, and a secondextension 13R at the right ground contact surfaces 4R-1 and 5R-1. Thefirst and the second extensions 13L and 13R proceed in the longitudinaltrack direction (the extensional degree of the first and the secondextensions 13L and 13R being indicated by the arrow D in FIG. 5).

In this embodiment, the direction of the first extension 13L formed atthe first left ground contact surface 4L-1 and the direction of thefirst extension 13L formed at the second left ground contact surface5L-1 are established to be the same (the direction of the arrow Y1 inthe drawing). Furthermore, the direction of the second extension 13Rformed at the first right ground contact surface 4R-1 and the directionof the second extension 13R formed at the second right ground contactsurface 5R-1 are established to be the same (the direction of the arrowY2 in the drawing).

With the above structure, the first extensions 13L formed between theneighboring first and second left lugs 4L and 5L are prevented frombeing interfered, and the second extensions 13R formed between theneighboring first and second right lugs 4R and 5R are prevented frombeing interfered. Accordingly, it is possible to widen the groundcontact surfaces 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 and 5R-1, and to heighten the rigidityof the crawler body 2A.

Meanwhile, considering the contact state of the crawler body 2A with thesurface of the road during the driving, the first and the second lugunits X1 and X2 are structured such that the ground contact surfaces4R-1 and 4L-1 are overlapped with each other in the longitudinal trackdirection, and similarly, the ground contact surfaces 5R-1 and 5L-1 areoverlapped with each other in the longitudinal track direction. In thisway, the substantially continuous ground contacting is made, and thepossible vibration made during the driving of the elastic crawler 1A isprevented.

Furthermore, when the ground contacting is made from the first lug unitX1 to the second lug unit X2, or from the second lug unit X2 to thefirst lug unit X1, the ground contact surfaces 4L-1 and 5R-1 are notoverlapped with each other in the longitudinal track direction, and theground contact surfaces 5L-1 and 4R-1 are not overlapped with each otherin the longitudinal track direction. In this embodiment, the distancebetween the first and the second extensions 13L and 13R positioned closeto each other in the longitudinal track direction (indicated by thearrows T1 and T2 in FIG. 5) is established to be short. For this reason,the substantially continuous ground contacting at the space between therespective lug units X1 and X2 is not made, and hence, the possiblevibration made during the driving of the elastic crawler 1A isprevented.

The sidewalls formed at the outer peripheries of the lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and5R will be now explained.

As the respective lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R are protruded at the groundcontact side of the crawler body 2A with a raised shape, a sidewall ispresent at the outer periphery thereof. In this embodiment, theplan-viewed length of a first sidewall 11 sided with the first and thesecond extensions 13L and 13R (indicated by the arrow E in FIG. 5) isestablished to be shorter than the plan-viewed length of a secondsidewall 12 positioned opposite to the extensions 13L and 13R (indicatedby the arrow F in FIG. 5). That is, E<F.

With the above structure, it is possible to shorten the distance betweenthe first and the second extensions 13L and 13R positioned close to eachother in the longitudinal track direction (indicated by the arrows T1and T2 in FIG. 5). Specifically, with the left side to the center A, itis possible to shorten the distance between the first and the secondleft lugs 4L and 5L (particularly at the location of the first extension13L), and with the right side to the center A, it is possible to shortenthe distance between the first and the second right lugs 4R and 5R(particularly at the location of the second extension 13R).

Consequently, with the ground contact side of the crawler body 2A, it ispossible to widen the area of the respective lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R andthe respective ground contact surfaces 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 and 5R-1, and toheighten the rigidity of the elastic crawler 1A.

Although it may be considered that the plan-viewed length of thesidewall positioned opposite to the first and the second extensions 13Land 13R is established to be relatively short as in the plan-viewedlength of the sidewall sided with the first and the second extensions13L and 13R, such a structure is not preferable in that the rigidity ofthe respective lugs is not high, and the so-called penetrability withrespect to the surface of the road is deteriorated.

An elastic crawler according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention will be now explained.

FIGS. 6 to 9 illustrate an elastic crawler 1B according to a secondembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a plan view ofthe elastic crawler 1B (indicated by PL in the drawing), and a bottomview thereof (indicated by BA in the drawing). FIG. 7 is a crosssectional view of the elastic crawler taken along the C-C line of FIG.6. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the elastic crawler 1B in the presence ofcores 3, and FIG. 9 is a plan view of the elastic crawler 1B shown inFIG. 8 in the absence of the cores 3. In FIGS. 6 to 9, like referencenumerals will refer to the same components of the elastic crawler 1B asthose of the elastic crawler 1A illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 according tothe first embodiment of the present invention, and explanations thereofwill be omitted.

The elastic crawler 1A according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention includes a first lug unit X1 with a pair of first left andright lugs 4L and 4R, and a second lug unit X2 with a pair of secondleft and right lugs 5L and 5R.

By contrast, the elastic crawler 1B according to the present embodimentincludes a right lug unit XR1 with first and second right lugs 4R and 5Rpositioned right to the center A of the crawler body 2B in the widthdirection thereof (in the direction of Z1 and Z2), and a left lug unitXL1 with a pair of first and second left lugs 4L and 5L positioned leftto the center A of the crawler body 2B.

Although the right lug unit XR1 and the left lug unit XL1 havesubstantially the same structure, they are arranged opposite to eachother left and right around the center A of the crawler body 2A in thewidth direction thereof (in the direction of Z1 and Z2). Furthermore,the right lug units XR1 are arranged parallel to each other with apredetermined pitch in the longitudinal track direction of the crawlerbody 2A while being positioned right to the center A thereof in thewidth direction thereof, and the left lug units XL1 are arrangedparallel to each other with a predetermined pitch in the longitudinaltrack direction of the crawler body 2A while being positioned left tothe center A thereof.

The pitches of the right lug units XR1 and the left lug units XL1arranged right and left to the center of the crawler body 2A do notcorrespond to each other. Accordingly, with the present embodiment, thefirst left lug 4L and the first right lug 4R are slightly deviated fromeach other. The specific arrangement structure thereof will be nowexplained.

The left and right lug units will be collectively referred to as the lugunits XL1 and XR1, the first right lug 4R and the first left lug 4L asthe first lugs 4L and 4R, and the second right lug 5R and the secondleft lug 5L as the second lugs 5R and 5L.

The lug units XL1 and XR1 are structured such that three cores 3 areplaced thereunder. Furthermore, as described above, the lug units XL1and XR1 have first lugs 4L and 4R, and second lugs 5L and 5R. The firstlugs 4L and 4R face each other over the left or right wings 3L or 3R oftwo cores 3. First ground contact surfaces 4L-1 and 4R-1 are formed onthe first lugs 4L and 4R. The second lugs 5L and 5R face each other overthe right or left wing 3L or 3R of one core 3. Second ground surfaces5L-1 and 5R-1 are formed at the second lugs 5L and 5R.

With the elastic crawler 1B according to the present embodiment, thepitches of the lug units XL1 and XR1 arranged left and right to thecenter of the crawler body 2A do not correspond to each other, but thefirst and the second left lugs 4L and 5L positioned left to the center Aof the crawler body and the first and the second right lugs 4R and 5Rpositioned right to the center A are slightly deviated from each otherin the longitudinal track direction of the crawler body 2A. That is, therespective lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R are separately arranged left andright.

With the arrangement of the left and right lugs 4, 4R, 5L and 5R, duringthe circular driving of the crawler body 1B, the ground contact surfaceof 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 or 5R-1 of at least one of the lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and5R contacts the ground, and the contact area thereof is increasedcompared to the elastic crawler 1A related to the first embodiment. Forthis reason, it becomes possible to more securely prevent the release ofthe elastic crawler 1B from the sprocket during the rotation thereof,and to heighten the reliability of the elastic crawler 1B.

Thereafter, the shape of the respective lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R for thelug units XL1 and XR1 will be noted. As described above, the lugs 4L,4R, 5L and 5R have ground contact surfaces 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 and 5R-1,respectively. The respective lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R roughly have thesame shape, and the respective ground contact surfaces 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1and 5R-1 also roughly have the same shape.

As with the structure according to the first embodiment, the respectiveground contact surfaces 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 and 5R-1 have a large area partpositioned close to the center A, and a small area part external to thelarge area part. The longitudinal track length of the large area part isestablished to be relatively large (indicated by the arrow L1 in thedrawing), and that of the small area part to be relatively small. Thelongitudinal track length of the large area part is the same throughoutthe ground surfaces 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 and 5R-1 (indicated by the arrow L1in the drawing).

With the above structure, the crawler body 2B is well balanced in thelongitudinal track direction (in the direction of Y1 and Y2), and itbecomes possible to inhibit the generation of stress and vibration. Withthe formation of the large area part, the rigidity of the crawler body2B becomes heightened, and in particular, it is possible to securelyprevent the elastic crawler from being released from the claws of thesprocket during the rotation thereof.

Furthermore, with the present embodiment, the longitudinal track lengthL1 is also enlarged so that extensions 13L and 13R are formed at therespective ground contact surfaces 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 and 5R-1. Therespective extensions 13L and 13R proceed in the longitudinal trackdirection.

In this embodiment, the extensions 13L and 13R of the respective lugs4L, 4R, 5L and 5R facing each other in the width direction of thecrawler body 2A are partially overlapped with each other in thelongitudinal track direction of the crawler body 2A (in the direction ofY1 and Y2). Specifically, with the second right and left lugs 5R and 5Lillustrated at the top of FIG. 9, the second extension 13R formed at thesecond right lug 5R and the first extension 13L formed at the secondleft lug 5L face each other in the width direction of the crawler body2B (in the direction of Z1 and Z2). Furthermore, the second right lug 5Ris not placed on the same direct horizontal line with the second leftlug 5L, but slightly deviated from the latter.

For this reason, the extensions 13L and 13R of the lugs 5L and 5R areoverlapped by the part indicated by the arrow S of the drawing (referredto as the overlapped section S) in the longitudinal track direction ofthe crawler body 2A (in the direction of Y1 and Y2). Similarly with thefirst right lug 4R and the first left lug 4L, the second extension 13Rformed at the first right lug 4R and the first extension 13L formed atthe first left lug 4L are overlapped by the section S indicated by thearrow S of the drawing in the longitudinal tract direction of thecrawler body 2A (in the direction of Y1 and Y2).

As the extensions 13L and 13R of the respective lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5Rare overlapped by the section S in the longitudinal track direction ofthe crawler body 2A, with the circular driving of the elastic crawler1B, the ground contact surface 4L-1, 4R-1, 5L-1 or 5R-1 of at least oneof the lugs 4L, 4R, 5L and 5R necessarily contacts the ground.Consequently, the upper and lower movement variation of the elasticcrawler 1B with respect to the ground during the circular drivingthereof can be minimized, and accordingly, it becomes possible toinhibit the generation of vibration.

Variants of the elastic crawler 1B according to the second embodimentwill be now explained. FIG. 10 illustrates an elastic crawler 1C being afirst variant of the elastic crawler 1B according to the secondembodiment, and FIG. 11 illustrates an elastic crawler 1D being a secondvariant of the elastic crawler 1B according to the second embodiment.The same structural components of the elastic crawler shown in FIGS. 10and 11 as those shown in FIGS. 5 to 9 according to the second embodimentwill be indicated by like reference numerals, and explanations thereofwill be omitted.

Lug units XL2 and XR2 installed at the elastic crawler 1C according tothe first variant are structured such that five cores 3 are placedthereunder. The lug units XL2 and XR2 have first lugs 14L and 14R, andsecond lugs 15L and 15R. The first lugs 14L and 14R face each other overthe left or the right wings 3L or 3R of three cores 3. First groundcontact surfaces 14L-1 and 14R-1 are formed on the first lugs 14L and14R. Furthermore, the second lugs 15L and 15R face each other over theleft or the right wings 3L or 3R of two cores 3. Second ground contactsurfaces 15L-1 and 15R-1 are formed at the second lugs 15L and 15R.

With the elastic crawler 1C according to the present embodiment, thepitches of the lug units XL1 and XR1 arranged left and right to thecenter of the crawler body 2C in the width direction thereof (in thedirection of Z1 and Z2) do not correspond to each other, and the firstand the second left lugs 14L and 15L positioned left to the center ofthe crawler body 2C and the first and the second right lugs 14R and 15Rpositioned right to that center are slightly deviated from each other inthe longitudinal track direction of the crawler body 2C. The large areaparts of the ground contact surfaces 14L-1, 14R-1, 15L-1 and 15R-1 ofthe lugs 14L, 14R, 15L and 15R have the same longitudinal track lengthL3.

Meanwhile, lug units XL3 and XR3 installed at the elastic crawler 1Daccording to the second variant are structured such that seven cores 3are placed thereunder. The lug units XL3 and XR3 have first lugs 24L and24R, and second lugs 25L and 25R. The first lugs 24L and 24R face eachother over the left or the right wings 3L or 3R of four cores 3. Firstground contact surfaces 24L-1 and 24R-1 are formed on the first lugs 24Land 24R. Furthermore, the second lugs 25L and 25R face each other overthe left or the right wings 3L or 3R of three cores 3. Second groundcontact surfaces 25L-1 and 25R-1 are formed at the second lugs 25L and25R.

With the elastic crawler 1D according to the present embodiment, thepitches of the lug units XL3 and XR3 arranged left and right to thecenter of the crawler body 2D in the width direction thereof do notcorrespond to each other, and the first and the second left lugs 24L and25L positioned left to the center and the first and the second rightlugs 24R and 25R positioned right to the center are slightly deviatedfrom each other in the longitudinal track direction of the crawler body2D. The large area parts of the ground contact surfaces 24L-1, 24R-1,25L-1 and 25R-1 of the lugs 24L, 24R, 25L and 25R have the samelongitudinal track length L4.

With the elastic crawlers according to the first and the secondvariants, it is possible to obtain the same effects as with the elasticcrawler 1B according to the second embodiment, provided that the elasticcrawlers 1C and 1D according to the first and the second variants havean advantage of heightening the rigidity of the elastic crawler, butinvolve a disadvantage of deteriorated flexibility with the possiblecrawler release problem. Accordingly, it is preferable in selecting theelastic crawlers 1A to 1D to consider the usage-adapted optimal featuresthereof in the aspects of rigidity, flexibility and stability.

While this invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the disclosedembodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

1. An elastic crawler comprising: a crawler body formed with an elasticmaterial in a shape of an endless track, and comprising a plurality oflug units protruding toward a ground contact side and being arrangedsubstantially parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction of thecrawler body and being disposed left and right of a longitudinal centerline of the crawler body; and cores arranged substantially parallel toeach other in the longitudinal direction of the crawler body, each corecomprising a pair of wings that are disposed opposite to a longitudinalcenter line of the crawler body and face the lug units, wherein each ofthe lug units comprises a first lug facing two wings of the cores and asecond lug facing a single wing of the cores, extending substantiallyparallel to the first lug and disposed at the same side with respect tothe longitudinal center line of the crawler body, and wherein the secondlug is positioned between the first lug and an adjacent first lug thatforms part of an adjacent one of the plurality of lug units.
 2. Theelastic crawler of claim 1 wherein each of the first and the second lugshas an extension extending in the longitudinal direction of the crawlerbody.
 3. The elastic crawler of claim 1 wherein the longitudinal tracklength of the ground contact surface formed at the first lug isestablished to be the same as the longitudinal track length of theground contact surface formed at the second lug.
 4. The elastic crawlerof claim 1 wherein the first lugs or the second lugs positioned right tothe center of the crawler body in the width direction thereof, and thefirst lugs or the second lugs positioned left to the center of thecrawler body in the width direction thereof are arranged at the left andthe right sides of the crawler body, respectively.
 5. The elasticcrawler of claim 3 wherein the first lugs or the second lugs positionedright to the center of the crawler body in the width direction thereof,and the first lugs or the second lugs positioned left to the center ofthe crawler body in the width direction thereof are arranged at the leftand the right sides of the crawler body, respectively.